Transcript Taxation and Cancer prevention

Juliana Tambellini
University Of Pittsburgh
To
understand the potential
benefits of taxation as a means
of Cancer prevention
To
review the pros and cons of
this approach for cancer
prevention
Examine
current taxes which
advance potentially advance
cancer prevention (including
lung, cancer, skin, cancer, etc)
Learn about pros and cons of
such approaches
Cancer
is a class of diseases in
which a group of cells display
uncontrolled growth and can
spreading to other locations in the
body via blood.
Image from “Mastering Biology”, Pearson 2011
Image courtesy of Google images
Researchers
divide the causes of
cancer into two groups
1.
Environmental factors
2.
Hereditary genetic factors
Cancer
is primarily an
environmental disease
Factors
that are not transmitted
genetically or by infection
Present
in surroundings
Photos courtesy of Google images
 Tobacco
 Alcohol
 Diet
 Physical
and obesity
 Infections
 Radiation
 Lack of physical
activity
 Pollutants
 Stress
and
mental abuse
 Radiation
 Chemicals found
in personal care
products and
household
cleaners
Tobacco
is an agricultural
product processed from the
leaves of plants in the genus
Nicotiana
Most
commonly consumed in the
forms of smoking and chewing
 Tobacco
consumption is believed to
be directly related to nicotine
dependence and addiction
 The
usage of tobacco is an activity
that is practiced by some 1.1 billion
people, and up to 1/3 of the adult
population
Image courtesy of nicotineaddictionwithdrawal.com
Cigarette
taxation has appeared
throughout American history and
still prominently used today
In
the United States cigarettes
are taxed at both the federal
and state levels
Photo courtesy of Google images
Many
studies show that taxes on
tobacco leads to a decrease in
smoking rates
Since
tobacco is known to cause
cancer, taxation can be
considered a method of cancer
prevention
Drink
containing ethanol from
fermented grain; considered the
world’s oldest known drug
Alcohol
has been a point of
contention among society since
its creation
Alcohol
consumption often alters
an individual’s behavior
Studies
have shown that the risk
of developing cancer increases
even with consumption of as
little as three units of alcohol
(one pint of lager or a large
glass of wine) a day
Images courtesy of Google Images
Due
to Alcohol’s effect on
behavior, the control of alcohol
has been a point of contention
in history
In
most nations, an official age
is established during which an
individual can legally consume
alcohol
Taxes
on alcohol are common
and lead to a reduction in
alcohol consumption
A
reduction in alcohol
consumption reduces related
high-risk behavior and potential
cancer risk
A
device which emits ultraviolet
radiation to produce a cosmetic
tan
Regular
tanning beds use several
fluorescent lamps designed to
emit UV in a spectrum that is
somewhat similar to the sun
Have
been linked to increasing
the risk of skin cancers
Recently
in the U.S., President
Obama has placed a tax on the
use of tanning beds to fund
health care
Taxes on items that cause cancer
reduce the use of these items and
therefore also reduce the
prevalence of cancer in society.
Advocates of such taxes argue that
taxes on tobacco, alcohol, tanning
beds, etc. subsidize public health
initiatives and prevent poor habits;
furthering the effort to prevent
cancer.
Are they really effective?
Concerns have been raised about the
effectiveness of such taxes in preventing
undesired behavior
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/
 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives
http://www.atf.gov/
 The Tax Foundation
http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show
/245.html
